Connector



1961 E. J. NIELSEN ET AL 2,997,688

CONNECTOR Filed March 25, 1958 INVENTOR.

ERIK J: lV/ELSEN HOWARD W TROYK 2,997,688 CONNECTOR Erik J. Nielsen,Thiensville, and Howard W. Troyk, Whitefish Bay, Wis., assignors toSquare D Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Filed Mar.25, 1958, Ser. No. 723,704 7 Claims. (Cl. 339-272) This inventionrelates to connectors and is more particularly concerned with improvedconnectors of the type whereby electrical connections may be made withterminal ends of wires without soldering.

This invention relates mainly to an improved connector wherein pressureis used to secure a bared end of a conductor.

In the connector according to the present invention, the pressure of thesecuring screws on the bared end of the wire is applied by means of amember which is interposed between the wire end and the pressureapplying end of the fastening screw. The present invention is mainlydirected to an improved member for applying pressure to the end of thewire to be secured in the connector and the novel manner for maintainingthe member in position in the connector.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pressurewire connector which includes a novel pressure applying member andarrangement for maintaining the member in position in the connector.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a pressureapplying member in a pressure wire connector which member is maintainedin position in the connector in a new and novel manner.

A still further object of the present invention is to include a pressureapplying member in a connector which member is formed of a strip ofresilient material which is curved so the ends thereof are in constantengagement with the tightening screw and is held in position in theconnector by a bent portion which is held by the struck-in portions ofthe walls of the element which forms the main body of the connector andwhich bent portion will limit the depth of insertion of the wire intothe connector.

Further objects and features of the invention will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art from the specification and appended drawingillustrating certain preferred embodiments in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the connector according to the presentinvention as mounted in a segment of a terminal strip shown in phantom.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 33 in FIG. 1 in thedirection of the indicating arrows.

In the drawings, the numeral designates a connector according to thepresent invention which is shown as positioned in a segment 12 of aterminal strip which is more fully disclosed in application Serial No.685,681, filed September 23, 1957, which has been assigned to theassignee of the present invention. The segment 12 is preferably formedout of a suitably molded material, such as a phenol formaldehydecondensation product more commonly known as Bakelite, to have a barrierwall 14 and a base 16 having a flat top wall. Extending from the barrierwall 14 and spaced from the base 16 is a positioning lug 18 having aprojection 20 extending toward the base 16.

The terminal connector 10 is formed of a channel 21 of conductingmaterial which provides a bottom wall 22, a top wall 24, parallel to andspaced from the bottom wall and a pair of side walls 26 and 28 which arealso parallel and spaced from one another. The top wall 24 and the sidewalls 26 and 28 have a portion thereof removed to form the notch 30which is sized to receive the ice projection 20 to position theconnector 10 in the terminal segment 12 when the bottom wall 22 is incontact with the flat surface of base 16. The top wall 24 has twothreaded apertures or openings 32 and 34 located at the opposite endsthereof. Received in these threaded openings are the threaded screws 36and 38 respectively. As is clearly apparent, the screws 36 and 38 may bethreaded toward the bottom wall 22 and may also engage threads in theside walls 26 and 28. Positioned within the channel member 21 is ast-riplike member 49 which is formed of a strip of resilient material tohave its end portions 41 and 42 upwardly curved so as to engage the topwall 24 when the respective screws 36 or '38 are in the fully retractedposition. Located intermediate the bent portions 41 and 42 is the bentportion 44 which is preferably U or V-shaped as shown. In thisconnection. it is to be noted that the member 40 is formed of resilientmaterial and the armed portions 46 located between the bent portion 44and the end portions 41 and 42, are bowed upwardly and normally stressedso that the portions 41 and 42 engage the top wall 24. The member 41-)is held in position within the channel by means of a pair of projectionswhich are preferably circular and formed by slightly punching the sidewalls 26 and 28 so that projections 48 will hold the bent portion 44 inposition in close proximity to the bottom wall 22. In this connection itis to be noted that the projection 48 is located in the side wallsbetween the bent portion 44 and the top wall 24 of the channel.Likewise, the portions 46 are located between the ends of the threadedmembers 36 and 38 and the bottom wall 22 of the channel. Another featureof the device is that the presence of the bent portion 44 will limit theinsertion of the bared end of the wire 5!} which may be of either thesolid or braided core types when the wire is inserted in the connectorand held in position when one of the screws, i.e., screw 38, istightened to force the bared end of the wire 50 tightly between theportion 46 and the bottom surface 22. From the above it is apparent thatthe connector according to the present invention possesses severaladvantages, among which are that the single strip of material positionedbetween the tightening screw and the wire end will be constantlymaintained in position in the channel member by a pair of puncheddnprojections formed in the side walls of the channel. Another advantageof the connector is that the ends 46 of the member 40 Will constantlyfollow the end of the tightening screws 36 and 38 in their travel toprovide an opening for the bared end of the wire whenever the screws 36and 38 are in a retracted position.

While certain preferred embodiments of the invention have beenspecifically disclosed, it is understood that the invention is notlimited thereto, as many variations will be readily apparent to thoseshilled in the art and the invention is to be given its broadestpossible interpretation within the terms of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a connector of the character described, the combinationcomprising; an elongate channel of conducting material having asubstantially rectangular cross sec tion defined by parallel spaced top,bottom and side walls, a pair of spaced threaded openings in the topwall, a threaded member in each of the pair of threaded openings, astriplike member of resilient maten'al formed and arranged to havesubstantially straight oppositely extending arms in constant engagementwith the threaded members and an upwardly opening curved portiondisposed between the arms and positioned contiguous to the bottom wallof the channel and an inwardly extending substantially circularprojection in each side Wall intermediate the ends of the channel andadjacent the bottom wall positioned to engage with the curved portionfor maintaining the bent portion of the strip-like member in itscontiguous position in the channel.

2. In a connector of the character described, the combinationcomprising; an elongate channel of conducting material having asubstantially rectangular cross section defined by parallel spaced top,bottom and side walls, a pair of spaced threaded openings in the topwall, a threaded member in each of the pair of threaded openings, anormally curved strip-like member of resilient material formed andarranged to have oppositely extending substantially straight armportions in constant engagement with the threaded members and anupwardly opening U- shaped bent middle portion located between the armportions positioned contiguous to the bottom wall of the channel, saidchannel having an inwardly extending substantially circular projectionin each side wall intermediate the ends of the channel and adjacent thebottom wall located to engage the U-shaped portion for maintaining theU-shaped portion of the strip-like member in position in the channel.

3. A terminal connector having a channel of conducting material withthreaded openings in a top surface adjacent the ends of the channel,threaded members threadedly received in each of the openings, a normallycurved resilient strip-like member having substantially straightoppositely extending arm portions engageable with and extending externalto the top surface of the channel when the members are in a retractedposition and positioned between the threaded members and the bottom wallof the channel, an upwardly opening U- shaped portion intermediate thearm portions of the strip arranged to constantly engage the bottom Wallof the channel and a pair of pointed projections formed by inwardlypunching the side walls of the channel, said projections being locatedto engage the U-shaped portion for holding the strip-like member in thechannel so the U-shaped portion is contiguous to the bottom Wall of thechannel.

4. The combination as recited in claim 3 wherein the material of theresilient member causes the ends thereof to be constantly stressed toengage the top wall of the channel.

5. In a terminal connector, the combination comprising; a channel ofrectangular cross section having spaced top and bottom and side wallswith threaded openings adjacent opposite ends in the top wall thereof,threaded members in said openings extending toward the bottom Wall, aresilient member positioned in said channel having an upwardly openingbent middle portion contiguous to the bottom wall and substantiallystraight ends extending from the middle portion engaged by the threadedmembers, and means consisting of an indentation in each of the sidewalls of the channel located to engage portions of an upper surface ofthe bent portion for holding the resilient member in the channel.

6. In a terminal connector, the combination comprising; a channel ofconductive material having a rectangular cross section with a continuousbottom surface and a threaded opening in a top surface adjacent each ofthe opposed ends of the channel, a threaded member in each of thethreaded openings, a strip-like resilient member having substantiallystraight arm portions extending in opposed directions from an upwardlyopening curved portion intermediate the ends of said arms, saidresilient member being positioned in the channel with the arms thereofin engagement with the threaded members and the curved portion inengagement with the bottom wall, and a projection in each of the sidewalls of the rectangular channel located to engage a top surface edge ofthe curved portion of said strip-like member in engagement with thebottom wall and the strip-like member in position in the channel.

7. In a connector of the character described, the combinationcomprising; an elongate channel of conducting material having asubstantially rectangular cross section defined by parallel spaced top,bottom and a pair of spaced parallel side walls, means for positioningthe channel in a support, a threaded opening in the opposed ends of thetop Wall, threaded members in the threaded openings, a strip-like memberof resilient material po- SlitlOIlEd in the channel, said strip-likemember having substantially straight arms extending in oppositedirections from an upwardly opening curved midportion with the arms inengagement with the threaded members and means for maintaining thestrip-like member in position in the channel including the curvedmidportion in said stnip-like member and inwardly extending theprojections in the side walls which are located to engage a top surfaceedge of the curved midportion when the midportion is positionedcontiguous to the bottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,266,441 Finkelstein May 14, 1918 FOREIGN PATENTS 720,450 Great BritainJan. 22, 1954

